Physics Lesson Objectives

Physics Lesson Objectives

Semester 1 Semester 2

Chapter 1
Section 1 SKIP
Section 2 SKIP
Section 3 - The students will:

• Define and contrast average speed and instantaneous speed.
  • Students determine the total distance traveled in each trial to determine average speed.
  • Students define instantaneous speed and contrast it with average speed in a sample problem.
• Use strobe photos, graphs, and an equation to describe speed.
  • Students sketch diagrams of strobe photos to show automobiles traveling at different speeds and arrive at the equation for average speed.
• Use a motion detector to measure speed.
  • Students obtain graphs using a motion detector to measure the velocity of an object.
• Construct graphs of your motion.
  • Students produce graphs by walking toward and then away from the motion detector at different speeds and in different directions.
• Interpret distance-time graphs.
  • Students read graphs to predict and determine distance, time, and average speed.
  • Students study the slope of distance-time graphs to interpret speed.
• Calculate distance, time, and speed using the equation for average speed.
  • Students calculate speed, distance, and time in different questions.

The students will, via discussion and in writing,
define average speed using content vocabulary
contrast instantaneous speed with average speed in a sample problem (both, neither, one, not, …),
describe speed using strobe photos, graphs, and an equation,
measure the velocity of an object using a motion detector to obtain graphs (distance, slope, time, …), and
calculate distance, time, and speed using the equation for average speed
in small groups and with the whole class.


Section 4 - The students will:

• Measure a change in velocity of a cart on a ramp using a motion detector.
  • Students use points on a graph produced by a motion detector to measure a change in velocity.
• Construct graphs of the motion of the cart on a ramp.
  • Students collect data for the cart's morion on an inclined plane and sketch distance-time and velocity-time graphs.
• Define acceleration using words and an equation.
  • Students learn about acceleration by studying the slope of the v-t graph. They also learn to put it in a word equation.
• Calculate speed, distance, and time using the equation for acceleration.
  • Students solve problems to calculate speed, distance, and time by using the equation for acceleration and velocity.
• Interpret distance-time and velocity-time graphs for different types of motion.
  • Students interpret how the slopes of d-t and v-t graphs vary for the motion of a cart when it changes speed and direction.

Section 5 - The students will:

• Plan and carry out an experiment to relate braking distance to initial speed
  • Students plan and carry out an experiment to see how the initial speed of a cart affects its braking distance by varying the speed of a cart traveling down a ramp
• Determine braking distance
  • Students use data to determine the braking distance of a cart
• Examine accelerated motion
  • Students study graphs to see how varying the initial speed changes the braking distance

Section 6 (SKIP) The students will:

• Investigate the factors that result in an Overlap Zone or a Dilemma Zone at intersections with traffic lights.
  • Students will be able to define an Overlap and a Dilemma Zone.

Section 7 - The students will:

• Recognize the need for a centripetal force when rounding a curve
  • Students make an object go in a curve
• Predict the effect of an inadequate centripetal force
  • Students calculate speed just before the object slides off the turntable
• Relate speed to centripetal force
  • Students change the speed to see a change in the centripetal force.

Chapter 2
Section 1 The students will:

• Describe Galileo's law of inertia by
  • Observing the roll of a ball on a slope
  • Change the height of the slope
  • Observe recovery height and stoppage
  • Determine why the ball stops
• Apply Newton's first law of motion by
  • Determine what would keep a ball rolling on a horizontal track
• Recognize inertial mass as a property of matter by
  • Discussing Galileo's law of inertia
• Demonstrate that speed is always relative to another object by
  • Showing how speed is relative to another object's position
• Explain that speed depends on frame of reference
  • Discuss how speed is relative to the frame of reference from whence the motion is observed

Section 2 The students will:

• Give examples of distance, time, speed, and acceleration
  • Pull tape at varying speeds
  • Measure the length of the tape
  • Analyze the spacing of dots on their tapes
  • Give example of the change in speed in a unit of time as acceleration
• Differentiate between instantaneous and average speed
  • Define the two terms
  • Study sample problems
• Recognize when motion is accelerated
  • Observe how the length of the strips change with the change in speed
  • Observe how the spacing of the dots changes with the change in speed
  • Solve a problem to calculate average acceleration
• Calculate average speed and acceleration
  • Solve problems to calculate average speed and acceleration

Section 3 The students will:

• Identify the forces on an object
  • Learn the definition of a force
  • Analyze the Investigate to identify forces on an object
• Determine when forces on an object are either balanced or unbalanced
  • Add coins to the end of a ruler and learn how an unbalanced force causes the ruler to bend and the coins to drop
• Compare amounts of acceleration semi-quantitatively
  • Solve problems to compare how the amount of force applied affects acceleration
• Apply the definition of the Newton as a unit of force
  • Write the equivalent form of a Newton
  • Solve problems of acceleration and force using the Newton as a unit of force
• Describe weight as the force due to gravity
  • Recall the experiment of the ruler and the coins to describe weight

Section 4 The students will:

• Apply the terms free fall, projectile, trajectory, and range
  • Write in their logs what they observed for trials in which they varied the projectile's launch velocity and speed of the chair to see how the range and trajectory are affected
• Provide evidence concerning projectiles launched horizontally at different speeds
  • Drop coins from a certain height then flick a coin across a table to hit a second coin to see if the coins hit the floor at the same time
• Explain the relationship between the vertical and horizontal components of a projectile's motion
  • Observe a ball's trajectory and range as they throw the ball up from a moving chair and try to catch it
• Recognize the factors that affect the range of a projectile
  • Recognize that a velocity of 9.8 m/s/s acts vertically downward on the coin while the horizontal velocity of the coin does not change
• Infer the shape of a projectile's trajectory
  • Study the shape of a projectile's trajectory in a graph that represents the motion of an object through different time intervals

Section 5 The students will

• Measure the Acceleration due to gravity
  • Students measure acceleration due to gravity by using a ticker-tape and a mass
• Calculate the speed attained by an object that has fallen freely from rest
  • Students calculate and record the speed of a falling object at every 0.10 seconds of its fall.
  • Students complete a table like an example in their textbook
• Identify the relationship between the average speed of an object that has fallen freely from rest and the final speed attained by the object
  • Students calculate the average speed of a falling object by finding the average of its initial speed and its final speed
• Calculate the distance traveled by an object that has fallen freely from rest
  • Students calculate and record the distance an object falls at the end of each 0.10 s of its fall via the equation distance = average speed * time
• Use the mathematical models of free fall and uniform speed to construct a physical model of the trajectory of a projectile
  • Students assemble a string and mass assembly with the string length equal to the distance of fall at the time of fall assigned. The string separation is determined by the horizontal velocity of the projectile
• Use the motion of a real projectile to test a physical model of projectile motion
  • A student volunteer throws a tennis ball horizontally to match the curve connecting the position of masses on the strings
• Use a physical model of projectile motion to infer the effects of launch speed and launch angle on the range of a projectile
  • Students rest the end of the stick corresponding to 0.0 s on the edge of the table and incline it at angles of 30, 45, 60, and 90 degrees.
  • The students predict the greatest range of a projectile.

Section 6 The students will

• Provide evidence that forces come in pairs with each force acting on a different object.
  • Students state reaction force of wall on the skateboarder is responsible for the acceleration.
• Use Newton's third law to analyze physical situations
  • Students demonstrate knowledge of the normal force by explaining the bending of a meter stick when masses are added.
• Describe how Newton's third law explains much of the motion in your everyday life
  • Students correctly identify the action-reaction force pairs in cases such as a student walking across the floor.

Section 7 The students will

• Apply the definition of the coefficient of sliding friction, µ
  • Students measure and record the weight of a shoe and the amount of force in newtons needed to keep the shoe moving at a slow constant speed.
  • The students use an equation to find the coefficient of friction.
• Measure the coefficient of sliding friction between soles of athletic shoes and various surfaces
  • Students measure and record the amount of force needed to pull different shoes on a variety of surfaces and then by recording the weight, calculate the coefficient of friction.
• Calculate the effects of frictional forces on the motion of objects
  • Students use different surfaces and weight to measure the force required to slide an object on each surface.

Section 8 The students will

• Apply equations for kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, and elastic potential energy.
  • Students apply equations of kinetic, elastic, and gravitational potential energy to solve problems.
• Recognize that restoring forces are active when objects are deformed.
  • Students recognize that when the ruler deflects from its original position energy is stored.
• Apply the equation for the force necessary to compress or stretch a spring.
  • Students solve problems by applying equations for the force necessary to compress the spring and the energy stored in the compressed spring.
• Measure the transformations among the different forms of energy.
  • Students recognize the deformation of the ruler is caused by the kinetic energy of the rolling ball, and that the gravitational potential energy gained by the penny comes from the deformation of the ruler.
• Conduct simulations of the transformation of energy involved in the pole vault.
  • Students design experiments to simulate how energy is transferred from one form to another.

Section 9 The students will

• Measure changes in height of the body's center of mass during a vertical jump.
  • Students record the height in meters of their body's distance from its center of mass to the floor at three different positions of their vertical jump.
• Calculate changes in the gravitational potential energy (GPE) of the body's center of mass during a vertical jump.
  • Students record the distance from the floor to their center of mass at the "peak position."
  • The students subtract the height at the peak of the jump from the launch height.
• Apply the definition of work.
  • Students' work, which is required to lift themselves from the ready to the launch position, is their weight times the change in height.
• Recognize how work is related to energy.
  • Students do work with their leg muscles to provide the energy of the jump that is converted into kinetic energy (KE).
• Apply the joule as a unit of work and conservation of energy to the analysis of a vertical jump, including weight, force, height, and time of flight.
  • Students use the same units for all measures of energy and work in their calculations of the energy transformations between work, SPE, GPE, and KE during the jump.
• Describe the concepts of work and conservation of energy to the analysis of a vertical jump, including weight, force, height, and time of flight.
  • Students read the Physics Talk and learn about conservation of energy based on tables providing a breakdown of total energy.

Chapter 3
Section 1 SKIP

Section 2 The students will

• Explain Newton's first law of motion
  • Students discuss Newton's first law and describe three parts of it.
  • Students use Newton's first law to explain their observations in the Investigate and why a passenger keeps moving when a vehicle suddenly stops.
• Describe the role of seat belts.
  • Students observe how seat belts affect the outcome of a clay passenger during a collision.
  • Using their observations, students describe the role of seat belts during collisions.
• Identify the three collisions in every accident.
  • Students identify and describe the three types of collisions that occur during an accident, and identify possible consequences of these collisions.
• Compare the effectiveness of various wide and narrow seat belts.
  • Students observe and describe how the effectiveness of seat belts varies with the width of the seat belt.
  • Students' observations are later used to support the concept of pressure.
• Express the relationship between pressure, force, and area.
  • Students describe the relationship between pressure, force, and area and provide supporting examples based on their observations.
  • Students apply the relationship between force, area, and pressure to solve problems.

Section 3 The students will

• Relate the energy of a moving object to the work required to stop the object.
  • Students describe the relationship between the change of energy of an object and the work needed to stop it, using their observations.
  • Students describe and apply the work-energy theorem to solve problems.
• Demonstrate an understanding about the relationship between the force of an impact and the stopping distance.
  • Students describe how less force is needed to stop an object if it is applied over greater distances using the work-energy theorem.
  • Students describe and apply the work-energy theorem to solve problems.

Section 4 The students will

• Evaluate, from simulated collisions, the effect of rear-end collisions on the neck muscles.
  • Students record their observations of what occurs to a clay driver, in particular its head and neck, during a rear-end collision simulation involving two types of carts that collide with each other with seats with and without headrests.
  • Students explain their observations using Newton's first law.
  • After reading about whiplash, students describe their observations using Newton's first and second laws.
• Describe the causes of whiplash injuries.
  • Students discuss and describe what whiplash is and what causes it.
• Provide examples of Newton's first and second laws of motion in automobile crashes.
  • Students describe various situations involving automobile collisions using Newton's first and second laws.
• Analyze the role of safety devices in preventing whiplash injury.
  • Students use their observations to support their ideas and analysis on how headrests help prevent whiplash injury.

Section 5 The students will

• Apply the definition of momentum.
  • Students compare and calculate the momentum of different objects.
• Conduct analyses of the momentum of pairs of objects in one-dimensional collisions.
  • Students conclude from analyses of their observations that during collisions between two carts (one at rest), the cart at rest increases its motion when the colliding cart has increased speed or mass, and its motion does not change as much as its mass increases
  • Students consider how two sets of observations can determine the masses of colliding carts.

Section 6 The students will

• Understand and apply the law of conservation of momentum to collisions.
  • Students conclude from their measurements and analysis that momentum is conserved.
  • Students describe and apply the law of conservation of momentum.
• Measure the momentum before and after a moving mass strikes a stationary mass in a head-on collision
  • Students measure the masses and speeds of two objects before and after a collision.
  • Using their measurements, students calculate the momentum for each object.
  • Through analysis, they conclude that momentum is conserved.
  • Students describe how their measurements could be improved.

Section 7 The students will

• Design a device that is able to absorb the energy of a collision and reduce the net force on an object in an automobile.
  • Students construct "crumple zones," a design feature that reduces the amount of energy and force acting on a cart so that an object in the cart does not fall out during a collision.
  • Students measure the force and velocity of the cart over time during the collision.
• Describe collisions and crumple zones in terms of momentum, impulse and force.
  • Students analyze data from the cart collisions and find a relationship between impulse and change in momentum.
  • Students read about and participate in a class discussion on crumple zones in terms of change in momentum and impulse, and are able to distinguish this approach from the work-energy approach.
• Apply the concept of impulse in the analysis of collisions.
  • Students should apply the concepts discussed in the Physics Talk to analyze automobile collisions.

Chapter 4
Section 1 The students will

• Sketch and interpret a top view and a side view of a roller coaster ride.
  • Students sketch diagrams and interpret the advantages and disadvantages of having two sketches.
• Identify whether thrills in roller coaster rides come from speeds, accelerations, or changes in each.
  • A student pushes a blindfolded student around in a chair at different speeds and directions.
  • Students determine from the expressions of the blindfolded student the extent of the student's reactions.
• Define accelerations as a change in velocity with respect to time and recognize the units of acceleration.
  • Students note the change in velocity while pushing a blindfolded rider and arrive at the definition of acceleration.
• Calculate and measure velocity and acceleration.
  • Students correctly calculate the velocity and acceleration of the ball on the track.

Section 2 The students will

• Detect the speed of an object at the bottom of a ramp.
  • Students find the speed of the ball at the bottom of a ramp with a velocimeter while placing the ball at several positions.
• Identify the relationship between the speed at the bottom of the ramp and both the height and the angle of the ramp.
  • Students find the speed of the ball at the bottom of the ramp with a velocimeter while varying the angle of the ramp and keeping the height constant.
• Complete a graph of speed versus height of the ramp.
  • Students find the speed of the ball as it relates to the initial height at which it was placed.
• Define and calculate gravitational potential energy.
  • Students learn the definition of gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy and learn how to calculate GPE and KE.
• State the conversion of energy.
  • Students use the principle that the total mechanical energy at the top and bottom of the roller coaster ride remains constant.
• Relate the conservation of energy to a roller coaster ride.
  • Students read how the total energy at all stages of the ride remains constant. They also solve a practice problem to see how energy at the top and bottom of a roller coaster ride remains the same.

Section 3
Section 4
Section 5 SKIP
Section 6
Section 7
Section 8
Section 9
Section 10

Semester 2